insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 09 - November 2015 | Page 61

TOWNSPOTLIGHT

S P OT L I G H T

O N

LITTLEHAMPTON

BY LISAMARIE LAMB

Littlehampton couldn’t be in a better location – in West Sussex, right on the east bank of the River
Arun, just 50 miles south of London and 20 miles from Brighton, as well as being on the edge of
the South Downs – there really is nothing to dislike about where this lovely town is. Or the town
itself, in fact. With two exquisite beaches, a great town centre, a marina, golf course, and plenty of
things to see and do, Littlehampton is as popular with locals and visitors today as it ever was.
East Beach Café

History in Brief
Littlehampton – or at least the area now known
as Littlehampton – has been around for almost
1,000 years, and was known as Hantone back
in the time of the Domesday Book (it is first
mentioned in that tome in 1086). Before that,
though, it had been a prehistoric and Roman
settlement. It’s likely that the place has always
been so popular because of the good fishing in
the sea, making it the sensible place to set up
a community who could then rely on the fish as
food, and as a way to make money.

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Hantone became Hampton, and the prefix
‘Little’ was added to distinguish it from
Southampton, which was already a thriving
port. It wasn’t long before Littlehampton itself
became a port, and a successful o